JPWO2017163613A1 - Automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

  Provided is an automatic analyzer that automatically measures the amount of water brought in by a probe, a stirrer, etc., and can easily check whether it is functioning normally when it has a water droplet removal mechanism. A member to be cleaned such as a stirrer that is stirred in contact with a probe or a liquid, a cleaning tank for cleaning the member to be cleaned with a cleaning liquid, and a measurement unit that measures the optical characteristics of the evaluation reagent contained in the reaction cell, The control unit causes the cleaning target member cleaned in the cleaning tank to contact the evaluation reagent, causes the measurement unit to measure the optical characteristics after contact with the evaluation reagent, and determines the cleaning liquid of the cleaning target member based on the measured optical characteristics. The amount brought into the reaction cell is calculated.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer having a cleaning liquid carry-in amount evaluation method.

  An in vitro diagnostic automatic analyzer that analyzes components of biological samples such as blood, plasma, and urine is indispensable for current diagnosis because of its reproducibility and accuracy.

  For example, in an automatic analyzer, when a cleaning liquid such as cleaning water adhering to a cleaned probe or stirrer is brought into a sample or reagent, the sample or reagent deteriorates or the measurement result deteriorates. On the other hand, there are automatic analyzers equipped with a water droplet removing mechanism such as a drying port using vacuum suction, a blower that blows the cleaning liquid with wind, and a wiper that wipes the cleaning liquid.

  However, since the method for confirming the amount of cleaning liquid adhering to the probe and the stirrer was visual confirmation and evaluation by means of usage, measurement of the amount of cleaning liquid brought in by a user or service person is not simple, and the water droplet removal mechanism is normal. It was not easy to determine whether it was functioning.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique that can easily confirm the cleaning performance of an automatic analyzer.

JP 2012-220436 A

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for easily evaluating the cleaning ability of a probe and a stirring bar using a dye solution. However, this is not a technique for measuring how much cleaning liquid adhering to the probe or stirrer is brought into the sample or reagent and determining whether the water droplet removal mechanism is functioning normally.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to automatically measure the amount of cleaning liquid brought into an automatic analyzer having a mechanism for cleaning a probe and a stirrer, and function properly when a water droplet removal mechanism is provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic analyzer that can easily check whether or not.

  A typical configuration of the present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.

  The present invention provides a cleaning target member that includes any one of a reagent probe that dispenses a reagent into a reaction cell, a sample probe that dispenses a sample into the reaction cell, and a stirring mechanism that agitates in contact with the liquid in the reaction cell; A cleaning tank for cleaning the target member with a cleaning liquid, a measuring unit for measuring the optical characteristics of the evaluation reagent contained in the reaction cell, and a control unit for controlling the cleaning target member, the cleaning tank, and the measuring unit. The control unit causes the member to be cleaned washed in the washing tank to contact the evaluation reagent, and the control unit causes the measurement unit to measure the optical characteristics after contact with the evaluation reagent, The automatic analyzer calculates the amount of cleaning liquid brought into the reaction cell of the cleaning target member based on the measured optical characteristics.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to automatically measure the amount of cleaning liquid brought in by a probe or a stirring bar. As a result, the abnormality of the water droplet removal mechanism can be grasped.

  Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of embodiments.

It is the schematic of the automatic analyzer to which this invention is applied. It is the upper surface schematic diagram of the automatic analyzer to which the present invention is applied. It is a flow of a water carrying amount check in the probe according to the present invention. It is a measurement result output table | surface of the automatic analyzer to which this invention is applied. It is a flow of the water carrying amount check in the stirring mechanism which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an automatic analyzer to which the present invention is applied.

  Each mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. The automatic analyzer is provided with a computer 1 and is accompanied by an input device 2 (keyboard or touch panel). The computer 1 includes a storage unit and a display unit, and can store information necessary for analysis and measurement results in the storage unit or display them on the display unit. Note that the storage unit is a memory such as a hard disk, a DRAM, or a flash memory, and the display unit is a display such as a cathode ray tube or a liquid crystal display.

  The automatic analyzer includes a control unit 3 that controls each mechanism of the automatic analyzer. Each mechanism described below utilizes mechanism control in the control unit 3. The control unit 3 is a controller such as a CPU or an arithmetic circuit, for example.

  The automatic analyzer includes a reaction disk 5 in which reaction cells 4 are arranged circumferentially. The reaction disk 5 is rotated by a drive mechanism such as a motor, and the reaction cell 4 is moved and retracted according to the analysis process. Hereinafter, the movement and evacuation of the reaction cell 4 will be described as the reaction disk 5 rotated by the control by the automatic analyzer. The reaction cell 4 is a container into which a sample or a reagent is dispensed, but can also be used as a photometric container that can measure the dispensed solution as it is.

  A reaction vessel cleaning mechanism 6 is provided on the reaction disk 5, and the liquid in the reaction cell 4 is sucked in accordance with the analysis process, the detergent and water are discharged, and the reaction cell 4 is cleaned.

  The automatic analyzer includes a sample transport mechanism 7. A plurality of sample containers 8 are installed in the sample rack 9, and the sample transport mechanism 7 transports the sample rack 9 into the automatic analyzer.

  The automatic analyzer includes a reagent disk 11 for storing the reagent container 10, and the reagent disk 11 can store a plurality of reagent containers 10. The reagent disk 11 moves and retracts the reagent container 10 corresponding to the analysis item by rotating.

  The automatic analyzer dispenses a sample from the sample container 8 to the reaction cell 4 by the sample dispensing mechanism 12. The sample dispensing mechanism 12 includes a sample probe 13 that dispenses a sample into the reaction cell 4.

  The automatic analyzer dispenses the reagent from the reagent container 10 to the reaction cell 4 by the reagent dispensing mechanism 14. The reagent dispensing mechanism 14 includes a reagent probe 15 that dispenses a reagent into the reaction cell 4.

  The automatic analyzer includes a stirring mechanism 16 that stirs the mixed solution of the sample and the reagent in the reaction cell 4. The stirring mechanism 16 refers to, for example, a contact-type stirring rod or stirrer that is immersed in a mixed solution, or a non-contact type ultrasonic stirring that is not immersed in a mixed solution.

  The automatic analyzer includes a measuring unit 17 that measures and reads the absorbance, luminescence, and turbidity of the mixed solution accommodated in the reaction cell 4. The automatic analyzer can perform component analysis of the biological sample using the measurement information read by the measurement unit 17. The measurement unit 17 includes a light source and a detector. The light source irradiates light to the mixed solution, and the detector detects light from the light source that reaches through the mixed solution.

  In addition, the sample probe cleaning tank 18 and the sample probe water drop removing mechanism 19 are provided in the operating range of the sample probe 13, the reagent probe cleaning tank 20 and the reagent probe water drop removing mechanism 21 are set in the operating range of the reagent probe 15, and the operating range of the stirring mechanism 16. Are provided with a stirring mechanism washing tank 22 and a stirring mechanism water droplet removing mechanism 23.

  The sample probe cleaning tank 18 cleans the sample probe 13, the reagent probe cleaning tank 20 cleans the reagent probe 15, and the stirring mechanism cleaning tank 22 cleans the stirring mechanism 16 with the cleaning liquid. That is, the member to be cleaned can be cleaned with the cleaning liquid in each cleaning tank. A detergent or pure water can be used as the cleaning liquid, but the cleaning liquid will be described as pure water in the following examples.

  After washing in the washing tank, the washing liquid adheres to the probe and the stirring mechanism 16. The sample probe water droplet removal mechanism 19 removes water droplets from the sample probe 13, the reagent probe water droplet removal mechanism 21 from the reagent probe 15, and the stirring mechanism water droplet removal mechanism 23 from the stirring mechanism 16. The water droplet removing mechanism is, for example, a drying port using vacuum suction, a blower that blows the cleaning liquid with wind, or a wiper that wipes the cleaning liquid. That is, each water droplet removing mechanism performs an operation of removing the cleaning liquid adhering to the cleaning target member after cleaning the cleaning target member with the cleaning liquid.

  As described above, the control unit 3 controls each mechanism. For example, various controls such as driving of reagent probes and sample probes, driving of reaction disks, water droplet removal control of various water droplet removal mechanisms, discharge control of cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank, measurement control in the measurement unit, calculation of analysis results, etc. Is performed by the control unit 3.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of an automatic analyzer to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, the same reference numerals indicate the same parts, and thus the description thereof will be omitted. The analysis process will be described with reference to FIG.

  The computer 1 registers items to be analyzed by the operator for a sample container 8 containing a biological sample (hereinafter referred to as a sample or specimen) such as blood, plasma, or urine.

  A sample rack 9 on which a sample is set is set in an automatic analyzer by a sample pretreatment system or an operator. The automatic analyzer transports the sample placed on the sample rack 9 to the sample suction position 51 by the sample transport mechanism 7.

  The automatic analyzer cleans the reaction cell 4 by the reaction container cleaning mechanism 6 before dispensing the sample (specimen) into the reaction cell 4. The reaction disk 5 rotates and the cleaned reaction cell 4 moves to the sample discharge position 52.

  The automatic analyzer moves the sample probe 13 to the sample probe cleaning position 53 where the sample probe cleaning tank 18 is provided, and cleans the sample probe 13. After the sample probe 13 is washed, the washing water adhering to the sample probe 13 is removed by the sample probe water droplet removing mechanism 19. The automatic analyzer moves the sample probe 13 to the sample suction position 51, and the sample probe 13 sucks an amount of the sample corresponding to the registered analysis item from the sample in the sample container 8. The automatic analyzer moves the sample probe 13 that has sucked the sample to the sample discharge position 52 and discharges the sucked sample to the reaction cell 4. After discharging the sample, the automatic analyzer moves the sample probe 13 to the sample probe cleaning position 53 and cleans the sample probe 13 in the sample probe cleaning tank 18.

  The reaction disk 5 rotates, and the reaction cell 4 that has discharged the sample is moved from the sample discharge position 52 to the reagent discharge position 54.

  The automatic analyzer moves the reagent container 10 corresponding to the analysis item to the reagent suction position 55 by rotating the reagent disk 11.

  The automatic analyzer moves the reagent probe 15 to the reagent probe cleaning position 56 where the reagent probe cleaning tank 20 is provided, and cleans the reagent probe 15. After washing the reagent probe 15, the washing water adhering to the reagent probe 15 is removed by the reagent probe water droplet removing mechanism 21. The automatic analyzer moves the reagent probe 15 to the reagent suction position 55, and the reagent probe 15 sucks an amount of reagent corresponding to the registered analysis item from the reagent in the reagent container 10. The automatic analyzer moves the reagent probe 15 that has sucked the reagent to the reagent discharge position 54, and discharges the sucked reagent to the reaction cell 4 from which the biological sample has been discharged. After discharging the reagent, the automatic analyzer moves the reagent probe 15 to the reagent probe cleaning position 56 and cleans the reagent probe 15 in the reagent probe cleaning tank 20.

  When the stirring mechanism 16 is a contact-type stirring rod or stirring bar, the automatic analyzer moves the stirring mechanism 16 to the stirring mechanism cleaning position 58 provided with the stirring mechanism cleaning tank 22 to clean the stirring mechanism 16. . After washing the stirring mechanism 16, the washing water adhering to the stirring mechanism 16 is removed by the stirring mechanism water droplet removing mechanism 23. The automatic analyzer moves the stirring mechanism 16 to the stirring position 57 to stir the mixed solution.

  When the stirring mechanism 16 is a non-contact type ultrasonic stirring or the like, a washing tank is not necessary, so the reaction cell 4 is moved to the stirring position 57 and the mixed solution is stirred.

  The automatic analyzer measures the absorbance, luminescence, and turbidity of the mixed solution in the reaction cell 4 at the measurement unit 17, analyzes the components of the sample, and displays the results on the display unit of the computer 1.

  The mixed liquid in the reaction cell 4 after the component analysis is discarded, and the reaction cell 4 is washed by the reaction vessel washing mechanism 6.

  The above is the analysis process in the automatic analyzer. In this process, there are three processes in which the target liquid may be diluted. The first is when the sample probe 13 aspirates the sample from the sample container 8, the second is when the reagent probe 15 aspirates the reagent from the reagent container 10, and the third is a contact type stirring rod or stirrer This is when the stirring mechanism 16 stirs the mixed liquid in the reaction cell 4.

  FIG. 3 shows the flow of checking the amount of water brought in. As an example of measuring the optical property of the reagent for evaluating the amount of water carried in, the absorbance is measured. The following flow is performed under the control of the control unit 3. This check is performed as maintenance or mechanism operation confirmation.

  The water carry-in amount check for the reagent probe 15 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step 1 (S1), a user or a service person requests the computer 1 to check the amount of water brought in. For example, there is an item for checking the amount of water brought in as a maintenance item, and an easy request method such as pressing the START button for that item.

  In step 2 (S2), an evaluation reagent is placed on the reagent disk 11. When a request for checking the amount of water brought in is made, the automatic analyzer requests the user or service person to install an evaluation reagent. A user or a service person installs the reagent container 10 containing the evaluation reagent on the reagent disk 11. The evaluation reagent is, for example, a liquid having an absorbance that can be measured by the measurement unit 17, such as an orange G aqueous solution having an absorbance of 1 Abs. In addition to absorbance, transmittance, luminescence, and turbidity may be measured.

  In step 3 (S3), the preparatory operation of the automatic analyzer is performed. The preparation operation is performed by checking the remaining amount of the reagent, rotating the reaction disk 5 to move the reaction cell 4 to the reagent discharge position 54, and moving the evaluation reagent installed on the reagent disk 11 to the reagent suction position 55. is there.

  In step 4 (S4), an evaluation reagent dispensing operation is performed. The evaluation reagent dispensing process is the same control method as the reagent dispensing in the analysis process of the automatic analyzer. The automatic analyzer moves the reagent probe 15 to the reagent probe cleaning position 56 provided with the reagent probe cleaning tank 20, and cleans the reagent probe 15 with cleaning water. After washing the reagent probe 15, the washing water adhering to the reagent probe 15 is removed by the reagent probe water droplet removing mechanism 21. The automatic analyzer moves the reagent probe 15 to the reagent suction position 55, and the reagent probe 15 sucks a predetermined amount of the evaluation reagent in the reagent container 10. The automatic analyzer moves the reagent probe 15 that has sucked the reagent to the reagent discharge position 54 and discharges it to the reaction cell 4. After discharging the reagent, the automatic analyzer moves the reagent probe 15 to the reagent probe cleaning position 56 and cleans the reagent probe 15 with cleaning water in the reagent probe cleaning tank 20.

  In step 5 (S5), the evaluation reagent in the reaction cell 4 is stirred. The reaction cell 4 into which the evaluation reagent is dispensed is moved to the stirring position 57 and stirred by the stirring mechanism 16. At this time, if the stirring mechanism 16 uses non-contact ultrasonic stirring or the like, it is not necessary to consider the amount of water brought in by the stirring mechanism 16.

  In step 6 (S6), the rotation of the reaction disk 5 is stopped for a certain time. The reaction cell 4 stops at a stirring position for a certain time, bubbles generated by stirring the evaluation reagent in the reaction cell 4 settle, and the temperature of the evaluation reagent becomes stable.

  In step 7 (S7), the absorbance of the evaluation reagent before the water bringing-in operation is measured. The reaction cell 4 into which the evaluation reagent has been dispensed is moved to the measurement unit 17 and the absorbance is measured. The absorbance at this time becomes the absorbance before operation, which serves as a reference for the evaluation reagent.

  In step 8 (S8), the reaction cell 4 moves. The reaction cell 4 into which the evaluation reagent for which the absorbance measurement has been finished is dispensed is moved to the reagent discharge position 54.

  In step 9 (S9) to step 14 (S14), a water-carrying operation is performed.

  In step 9 (S9), the reagent probe 15 moves to the reagent probe cleaning tank 20.

  In step 10 (S10), the reagent probe cleaning tank 20 operates and the reagent probe 15 is cleaned with cleaning water.

  In step 11 (S11), the reagent probe water droplet removal mechanism 21 operates to remove water droplets from the reagent probe 15. As the means for removing water droplets, there are a suction method, a blow-off method, a wiping method, etc. as described above, and any method or a method different from these methods may be used. Based on.

  In step 12 (S12), the reagent probe 15 moves to the reagent suction position 55 and performs a reagent probe operation. The reagent probe operation here means that the reagent probe 15 moves to the reagent aspirating position 55, but the reagent probe 15 is not brought into contact with the reagent. Is the action. Step 12 (S12) can be omitted and may be omitted.

  In step 13 (S13), the reagent probe 15 moves to the reagent discharge position 54. The reagent discharge position 54 has a reaction cell 4 into which an evaluation reagent is dispensed.

  In step 14 (S14), the reagent probe 15 contacts the evaluation reagent in the reaction cell 4. The reagent probe 15 descends and comes into contact with the evaluation reagent. At this time, since only water droplets adhering to the outside of the reagent probe 15 are to be measured for the amount of water carried in, it is desirable to perform control so as not to perform the reagent suction and discharge operations. Further, it is desirable that the operation in which the reagent probe 15 descends relative to the evaluation reagent and rises from the evaluation reagent is controlled in the same manner as the operation in which the reagent probe 15 aspirates the reagent during the actual reagent dispensing operation. If water droplets that cannot be removed by the reagent probe water droplet removing mechanism 21 are attached to the portion where the reagent probe 15 is in contact with the reagent, the evaluation reagent is diluted.

  In step 15 (S15), it is determined whether or not the water bringing-in operation is repeated. When repeating the water carrying-in operation, the process returns to step 9 (S9) and the water carrying-in operation is performed. Although this repetition may be performed one or more times, the larger the number of repetitions, the more easily the reagent for evaluation becomes thinner. Therefore, once to make the difference in absorbance before and after the water-carrying operation easier to see, It is better to repeat the above. That is, it is desirable to perform a water bringing operation a plurality of times. Note that the determination here means checking whether the device has performed the water bringing-in operation for the number of repetitions set in advance on the device side. The operation end determination is NO, and the control unit 3 repeats the operations in steps 9 to 14 (S9 to 14) until the set number of times is satisfied. When this number of times is satisfied, the water bringing-in operation end determination is YES.

  In step 16 (S16), the automatic analyzer stirs the evaluation reagent in the reaction cell 4. The reaction cell 4 into which the evaluation reagent is dispensed is moved to the stirring position 57 and stirred by the stirring mechanism 16. At this time, similarly to step 5 (S5), when the stirring mechanism 16 uses a non-contact ultrasonic stirring mechanism, it is not necessary to consider the amount of water brought in by the stirring mechanism 16.

  In step 17 (S17), the rotation of the reaction disk 5 is stopped for a certain time. The reaction cell 4 stops at the stirring position 57 for a certain period of time, and the reagent for evaluation in the reaction cell 4 becomes uniform with the brought-in water and stabilizes.

  In step 18 (S18), the absorbance of the evaluation reagent after the water-carrying operation is measured. The reaction cell 4 into which the evaluation reagent has been dispensed is moved to the measurement unit 17 and the absorbance is measured. The absorbance at this time becomes the absorbance after operation, and is used to calculate the amount of water brought in.

  In step 19 (S19), the amount of water brought in is calculated and the measurement result is output. The absorbance before and after the water carrying-in operation is compared, the amount of water carried in is calculated, and the measurement result is output to the display unit of the computer 1. Details will be described with reference to FIG. It is more preferable to repeat S4 to S18, calculate a plurality of water carry-in data, and take the average value thereof.

  In step 20 (S20), it is determined whether the water droplet removal mechanism is functioning normally. It is determined whether the calculated water carry-in amount or the average value of the water carry-out amount exceeds a threshold set by the automatic analyzer. If it exceeds the threshold, the process proceeds to step 21 (S21).

  In step 21 (S21), the automatic analyzer generates an alarm such as a water drop removal mechanism abnormality to notify the user. For example, if the threshold is set to 0.15 μL, and if it exceeds this value, it is determined that the function of the water drop removal mechanism has weakened, and the automatic analyzer checks the leakage of the flow path related to the water drop removal mechanism, The clogging of the removal mechanism, contamination check, etc. are displayed on the computer 1 screen. Furthermore, if the threshold is set to 0.30 μL, and if it exceeds this value, it is determined that the function of the water droplet removal mechanism is not working, and information for prompting connection confirmation regarding the water droplet removal mechanism is displayed on the screen of the computer 1. . For example, a connection error such as a tube for air discharge or suction and a pump not being connected, or a pump not being connected to a power source can be considered.

  In step 22 (S22), an alarm is displayed, so that the user or serviceman resolves the abnormality of the water droplet removal mechanism and requests the water carry-in amount check again.

  In step 23 (S23), when an increase in the amount of water brought in due to contamination of the probe or the like is assumed, the probe washing operation may be performed and the water carry-in amount checked again.

  If the amount of water brought in does not exceed the threshold value, it is determined that the amount of water brought in is acceptable and the process proceeds to step 24 (S24).

  In step 24 (S24), it is determined that the water droplet removal mechanism is functioning normally, and measurement end operations such as discarding of the mixed solution and washing of the reaction cell 4 are performed.

  In step 25 (S25), the evaluation reagent is taken out from the reagent disk 11. The automatic analyzer requests the user or service person to take out the evaluation reagent, and the reagent container 10 containing the evaluation reagent is taken out of the reagent disk 11.

  The above is the flow of checking the amount of water brought in.

  The operation in this check flow is controlled with the same cycle time as the dispensing operation in the normal analysis process. As for the probe cleaning, both the internal cleaning and the external cleaning are performed in the same manner as the reagent dispensing operation in the normal analysis process. This is to make the amount of water droplets adhering to the probe as close as possible to the normal operation.

  There are three major differences from the normal analysis process.

  The first point is step 12 (S12). Normally, the probe is moved to the suction position, the probe is lowered, the probe reaches the liquid surface, the liquid is sucked, and the probe is raised. On the other hand, in the probe operation of the present invention, the probe is controlled so as not to reach the liquid surface, and is controlled so as not to suck the liquid.

  The second point is step 14 (S14), in which the probe usually descends on the reaction cell 4, discharges the liquid, the probe rises, and moves to the cleaning tank. In contrast, in the probe contact operation of the present invention, control is performed so that the probe descends until it contacts the evaluation reagent in the reaction cell 4 and liquid is not discharged.

  The third point is step 12 (S12). Usually, the reaction disk 5 is rotated at regular intervals to move the reaction cell 4, whereas in the present invention, the same reaction is performed when water is brought in multiple times. In order to bring the probe into contact with the cell 4, the reaction disk 5 is controlled so as not to rotate.

  When performing the water carrying-in operation a plurality of times, the reaction cell 4 may be moved to the stirring position 57 each time the water carrying-in operation is performed, and the evaluation reagent in the reaction cell 4 may be stirred. However, when stirring is performed every time the water bringing operation is performed, there is an advantage that the evaluation reagent in the reaction cell 4 is mixed with the brought-in water and becomes uniform, but the evaluation reagent in the reaction cell 4 is obtained by stirring. There is a disadvantage that a bubble layer is formed on the liquid surface, and the bubbles in the container are changed from the normal liquid surface environment in which the bubbles are removed. For this reason, it is desirable to perform the water carrying-in operation a plurality of times while the reaction disk is stationary without stirring the evaluation reagent for each water carrying-in operation.

  FIG. 4 is an example of a measurement result output table of the automatic analyzer to which the present invention is applied. An example of the water carry-in amount calculation method will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a measurement result output table when the absorbance before and after the water carrying-in operation is compared in step 19 (S19), the amount of water carried in is calculated by the computer 1, and the measurement result is output to the display unit of the computer 1. .

  In the flow of FIG. 3, it is assumed that the dispensing amount of the evaluation reagent is 150 μL, the water carry-in operation (S9 to S14) is repeated 10 times, and the water carry-in amount check (S4 to S18) is repeated 3 times.

  Since the water carry-in check was repeated three times, there are three reaction cells 4 (60: row 1). For example, when orange G is used as the evaluation reagent, the wavelength measured in the photometry operation before the water bringing-in operation in step 7 (S7) of FIG. 3 is the main wavelength of 480 nm, the sub wavelength of 570 nm, the main wavelength and the sub wavelength. Using the difference (61: row 2), the absorbance at each wavelength is measured and calculated (62: row 3). The wavelength and absorbance measured in the photometric operation after the water bringing-in operation in step 18 (S18) in FIG. 3 are also the same (63: row 4).

  The amount DμL of water brought in per dispense is calculated from the following formula and displayed as the amount of water brought in (64: line 5).

DμL = 150 μL × ((absorbance before operation (main-sub))-(absorbance after operation (main-sub))) / (absorbance after operation (main-sub)) / 10 times of water carry-in check Since it repeated, the average is calculated and displayed from the amount of water carried in each reaction cell 4 (65: average value). According to this example, since the average is 0.33 μL / time, the above threshold example corresponds to a connection error. For this reason, it determines with the function of a water drop removal mechanism not working, and displays the information which prompts the connection confirmation regarding a water drop removal mechanism on the screen of the computer 1. FIG.

  From the above flow, the amount of water brought in can be automatically calculated simply by installing the evaluation reagent, and it can be easily confirmed whether the water droplet removal mechanism is normal. According to the present invention, the reliability of the mechanism operation of the apparatus is improved.

  In this embodiment, the amount of water brought into the reagent probe 15 can be automatically calculated without adding new parts. As a user's work, the computer 1 is used to request an automatic analyzer, and the reagent container 10 containing the evaluation reagent is simply installed and removed from the reagent disk 11. The remaining work, dispensing a certain amount of dye solution into the absorption cell, measuring the absorbance with the absorption cell, and repeating these operations all automatically make it possible to measure the amount of water brought in easily. . Further, it can be confirmed that the water droplet removal mechanism is functioning normally, and the possibility of deterioration of the measurement result such as a decrease in the measurement range and a measurement error due to bringing in the reagent water can be prevented.

  Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described.

  In the first embodiment, an example in which the amount of water carried by the reagent probe 15 is measured has been described. In the second embodiment, the amount of water carried by the sample probe 13 is measured in comparison with the first embodiment. This is a change.

  The measurement of the amount of water carried in the sample probe 13 is almost the same as in FIG. The change of operation is as follows.

  In step 8 (S8), the reaction cell 4 is moved to the sample discharge position 52 in order to measure the amount of water brought in by the sample probe 13.

  In step 9 (S9), the sample probe 13 moves to the sample probe cleaning tank 18.

  In step 10 (S10), the reagent probe cleaning tank 18 operates to clean the sample probe 13.

  In step 11 (S11), the sample probe water droplet removal mechanism 19 is operated to remove water droplets from the sample probe 13.

  In step 12 (S12), the sample probe 13 moves to the sample suction position 51 and performs the sample probe operation. The sample probe operation here is that the sample probe 13 moves to the sample aspirating position 51, but the sample probe 13 is not brought into contact with the sample. Is the action.

  In step 13 (S13), the sample probe 13 moves to the sample discharge position 52. The sample discharge position 52 has a reaction cell 4 into which an evaluation reagent is dispensed.

  In step 14 (S14), the sample probe 13 is brought into contact with the evaluation reagent in the reaction cell 4. The sample probe 13 descends and comes into contact with the evaluation reagent. At this time, since only water droplets attached to the outside of the sample probe 13 are targeted for measuring the amount of water carried in, control is performed so as not to perform the reagent suction and discharge operations. The operation in which the sample probe 13 descends relative to the evaluation reagent and rises from the evaluation reagent is controlled in the same manner as the operation in which the sample probe 13 sucks the sample during the actual sample dispensing operation. If water droplets that cannot be removed by the sample probe water droplet removing mechanism 19 are attached to the portion where the sample probe 13 is in contact with the sample, the evaluation reagent is diluted.

  The above is the change of the second embodiment from the first embodiment.

  Although the reagent for evaluation may be dispensed into the reaction cell 4 using the sample probe 13, it is necessary to accurately dispense an amount sufficient for stirring and photometry.

  As described above, the automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment can check the amount of water brought into the sample probe 13.

  Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described.

  In the first and second embodiments, the example in which the member to be cleaned is a reagent or a sample probe and the amount of water carried by the probe is measured to evaluate the water droplet removal mechanism has been described. In the third embodiment, the member to be cleaned is The first and second stirring mechanisms 16 for stirring in contact with the liquid in the reaction cell measure the amount of water brought into contact with a stirring bar or a stirring bar that may be brought in during stirring. This is a change when compared with the embodiment.

  FIG. 5 is a flow of checking the amount of water carried in the stirring mechanism 16. In FIG. 5, S9 to S14 in FIG. 3 are changed from S31 to S35. The amount of water brought in by the stirring mechanism 16 is almost the same as that shown in FIG. The change of operation is as follows.

  In step 8 (S8), the reaction cell 4 moves. The reaction cell 4 into which the evaluation reagent for which the measurement of the absorbance has been dispensed is dispensed is moved to the stirring position 57.

  In step 31 (S31), the stirring mechanism 16 moves to the stirring mechanism cleaning tank 22.

  In step 32 (S32), the stirring mechanism cleaning tank 22 operates to clean the stirring mechanism 16.

  In step 33 (S33), the stirring mechanism water droplet removal mechanism 23 is operated to remove water droplets from the stirring mechanism 16.

  In step 34 (S34), the stirring mechanism 16 moves to the stirring position 57. At the stirring position 57, there is a reaction cell 4 into which an evaluation reagent has been dispensed.

  In step 35 (S35), the stirring mechanism 16 contacts the evaluation reagent in the reaction cell 4. The stirring mechanism 16 descends and comes into contact with the evaluation reagent. At this time, the stirring operation may or may not be performed. Unlike the probe, in the case of the stirring mechanism 16, the stirring mechanism 16 is immersed in the evaluation reagent in order to descend to a deeper position and soak in the evaluation reagent. Further, the operation in which the stirring mechanism 16 descends with respect to the evaluation reagent and rises from the evaluation reagent is controlled in the same manner as the operation in which the stirring mechanism 16 stirs during the actual stirring operation. If water droplets that cannot be removed by the stirring mechanism water droplet removing mechanism 23 are attached to the portion where the stirring mechanism 16 is in contact with the reagent, the evaluation reagent is diluted.

  In step 16 (S16), when the stirring operation is not performed in step 35 (S35), the evaluation reagent in the reaction cell 4 is stirred. Unlike the first and second embodiments, when the reagent is stirred after the water-carrying operation and before the photometric operation, the amount of water brought in by the stirrer or the stirrer is larger in Step 16 (S16). When calculating the amount of carry-in, consider that there are many water-carrying operations.

  The operation in the present invention is controlled with the same cycle time as the stirring operation in the normal analysis process.

  The stirring mechanism 16 is also cleaned in the same manner as the stirring operation in the normal analysis process. This is because the amount of water droplets adhering to the stirring mechanism 16 is as much as possible under normal conditions.

  There are two main differences from the normal analysis process.

  The first point is step 35 (S35), where the stirring mechanism 16 normally operates, but may be controlled not to operate in the present invention.

  The second point is step 35 (S35). Normally, the reaction disk 5 is rotated at regular intervals to move the reaction cell 4, whereas the same reaction is carried out when water is brought in multiple times in the present invention. Since the stirring mechanism 16 is brought into contact with the cell 4, the reaction disk 5 is controlled so as not to rotate.

  When performing the water bringing operation a plurality of times, the agitation operation may or may not be performed in step 35 (S35). Although there is an advantage that the evaluation reagent in the reaction cell 4 is mixed with the brought-in water and becomes uniform, a bubble layer is formed on the evaluation reagent liquid surface in the reaction cell 4 by stirring. There is a disadvantage that it changes from the liquid surface environment. For this reason, it is desirable to perform the water carrying-in operation a plurality of times while the reaction disk is stationary without stirring the evaluation reagent for each water carrying-in operation.

  As described above, the automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment can check the amount of water brought into the contact type stirring mechanism 16 such as a stirring bar or a stirring bar.

  The first to third embodiments have been described above.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to calculate the amount of water carried in each mechanism that causes water to be brought in, and to determine whether the water droplet removing mechanism is functioning normally. Specifically, the control unit brings the member to be cleaned washed in the washing tank into contact with the evaluation reagent, and the control unit causes the measurement unit to measure the optical characteristics after contact with the evaluation reagent and measure the measured optical properties. Based on the characteristics, the amount of the cleaning liquid brought into the reaction cell is calculated.

  In Examples 1 and 2, in the case where the stirring mechanism 16 is not a non-contact ultrasonic stirring but the contact-type stirring rod or stirring bar described in Example 3, the amount of water brought into the stirring mechanism 16 of Example 3 is set as follows. The measurement may be performed first, and the calculation may be performed by subtracting the amount of water carried by the stirring mechanism 16 when calculating the amount of water carried by the probe. This is to eliminate the influence of the amount of water brought into the stirring mechanism 16.

  In addition, the control unit causes the measurement unit to measure the optical characteristics before the contact with the evaluation reagent, and calculates the amount of the cleaning liquid brought into the reaction cell based on the optical characteristics before and after the contact of the cleaning target member. It is desirable. Predetermined optical property values can be used as a reference, but by using the optical properties before contact as a reference, the influence of deterioration of the reaction cell itself can be offset, and a highly accurate carry-in amount can be calculated. it can.

  Further, it is desirable that the control unit contact the member to be cleaned after the operation of removing the cleaning liquid adhering to the member to be cleaned with the water drop removing mechanism in contact with the evaluation reagent. Thereby, when the carry-in amount is larger than the threshold value serving as the reference value, it is possible to grasp the abnormality of the water droplet removal mechanism.

  In addition, the member to be cleaned is a dispensing probe of either a reagent probe or a sample probe, and the control unit performs control to reciprocate the dispensing probe a plurality of times between the same reaction cell and the washing tank. It is desirable to perform control that repeats a series of operations including the cleaning operation of the injection probe with the cleaning liquid, the operation of removing the cleaning liquid adhering to the dispensing probe by the water droplet removal mechanism, and the operation of contacting the dispensing probe with the evaluation reagent. . By carrying out the cleaning solution multiple times in the evaluation reagent contained in the reaction cell, the difference in optical properties before and after the water carrying operation can be easily seen, and the amount of water brought in by one water carrying operation is increased. This is because it can be calculated accurately.

  In addition to the reaction cell containing the evaluation reagent, the reaction unit includes a plurality of reaction cells, and includes a reaction disk that is driven to rotate. The control unit controls the rotation drive of the reaction disk when analyzing the sample. It is desirable to perform control to keep the reaction disk stationary while repeating the above series of operations. When analyzing a sample, the reaction disk repeats rotation and stationary periodically.However, when performing multiple cleaning liquid carry-in operations, the reaction disk is kept stationary so that multiple reactions can be performed in a short time. This is because the contact operation can be performed. When the same reaction disk is controlled as when the sample is analyzed, a considerable amount of time is required for the same reaction cell to reach the same access position of the dispensing probe after a single contact operation. Therefore, delaying the second contact operation can be suppressed by keeping the reaction disk stationary.

  In addition, the control unit performs aspiration, discharge, and washing of the dispensing probe with the dispensing probe within a predetermined cycle time (for example, 3.6 seconds) when analyzing the sample, It is desirable for the control unit to execute the above series of operations within the same predetermined cycle time. Since checking the amount of water carried in is a part of the operation check, it is not always necessary to align the cycle time when analyzing the sample, but by aligning the cycle time, the amount of water brought in is the amount of water droplets generated during the dispensing operation. Can be estimated. In addition, since many operation sequences can be shared, special operation sequences can be reduced.

  It also has a reagent disk that holds a reagent container for containing the evaluation reagent, the dispensing probe is a reagent probe, the reagent probe dispenses the evaluation reagent from the reagent container to the reaction cell, and the control unit During analysis, the reagent probe is moved horizontally from the cleaning position to the reagent suction position, and then the reagent probe is lowered from the reagent suction position to suck the reagent. The control section sucks the evaluation reagent from the reagent container. When the control unit repeats the above series of operations, the control unit moves from the cleaning position to the reagent suction position and is stored in the reagent container. It is desirable to control the contact of the evaluation reagent accommodated in the reaction cell without causing the contact of the evaluation reagent. This is because the cleaning liquid adhering to the reagent probe before the second contact operation can be mixed in the reagent for evaluation on the reaction cell side without mixing in the reagent container. Further, by moving the reagent to the reagent aspirating position, it is possible to share the operation sequence during the analysis. There are two ways to prevent the evaluation reagent from being brought into contact with the reagent, ie, a method in which the reagent probe is not lowered from the reagent suction position and a method in which the reagent probe is partially lowered and is not brought into contact with the surface of the evaluation reagent.

  In addition, the control unit performs control to rotate the reaction disk that has been kept stationary after the series of operations described above is repeated, so that the evaluation reagent can be transferred to the evaluation reagent through the evaluation reagent and the dispensing probe stored in the reaction cell. It is desirable that the reaction cell is moved to a position where the mixed cleaning liquid can be stirred, and the control unit performs control for stirring the evaluation reagent and the cleaning liquid at this position. This is because, by stirring, the degree of thinning of the evaluation reagent with the cleaning liquid is made uniform, and the amount of carry-in can be measured with high accuracy. The stirring is preferably performed without contact with the evaluation reagent, but may be a contact type stirring mechanism.

  The evaluation reagent is Orange G / saline solution having an absorbance of 1 Abs as a specific example. However, a reagent added with a surfactant in order to prevent generation of bubbles that inhibit photometry may be used. good. If the absorbance can be measured, another dye solution may be used as an evaluation reagent.

  In the Examples, an example of a photometer that measures absorbance as optical characteristics and absorbance as the measurement unit 17 is shown for the measurement of the evaluation reagent. However, the present invention is limited to a photometer that measures absorbance and absorbance. Instead, the optical characteristics may be any one of transmittance, luminescence, and turbidity, and a measuring unit corresponding to the optical characteristics to be measured may be employed. In other words, any type of optical characteristic can be used as long as it changes depending on the amount of cleaning liquid brought into the reaction cell. For example, in terms of luminous intensity, the measurement unit is a photodetector that detects the amount of luminescence per unit area, detects the amount of luminescence per unit area that decreases according to the amount of cleaning liquid brought in, and supplies the cleaning liquid to the reaction cell. A carry-in amount may be calculated. As for turbidity, the measurement unit is a scattered light detector that detects the amount of scattered light that changes according to the amount of cleaning liquid brought in, and calculates the amount of cleaning liquid brought into the reaction cell according to the change in the amount of scattered light. Also good. In the case of using luminescence or turbidity, a measuring unit is provided for measuring the absorbance of the mixed solution separately accommodated in the reaction cell 4 for sample analysis. On the other hand, as in the embodiment, when analyzing a sample, as a photometer for measuring the absorbance of the mixed solution of the sample and the reagent, the photometer is used for analysis and for measuring the amount of the cleaning liquid brought in. By doing so, the amount of cleaning liquid brought in can be measured without adding a new measuring section.

  In addition, it is desirable that the absorbance is used as the optical characteristic, and the control unit calculates the amount of the cleaning liquid brought into the reaction cell based on the difference in absorbance before and after contact with the evaluation reagent. The amount of water brought in can be calculated using the calculation formula described in the first embodiment. However, the amount of water brought in may be calculated using an expression other than the expression described in Example 1, or a table in which the relationship between the absorbance of the evaluation reagent and the amount of water carried in is stored in advance in the storage unit of the apparatus. A calculation method that outputs the amount of water brought in by inputting the absorbance before and after contact may be used.

  And a storage unit that stores a threshold of the carry-in amount for determining whether or not the water droplet removal mechanism is functioning normally, and the control unit is configured so that the water drop removal mechanism operates normally based on the calculated carry-in amount and the threshold. It is desirable to determine whether it is functioning. In this case, the apparatus automatically determines whether the water droplet removal mechanism is functioning normally, rather than displaying the numerical value of the carry-in amount as a numerical value on the apparatus screen and determining whether the user or service person is normal. Excellent in that it can.

  The member to be cleaned is a reagent probe, the optical specification is absorbance, and the measurement unit is a photometer that measures the absorbance of the mixed solution of the sample and the reagent when analyzing the sample. A water droplet removal mechanism that performs an operation of removing the cleaning liquid adhering to the reagent probe after washing with a cleaning liquid, a reagent disk that holds a reagent container that holds a reagent for evaluation, and a sample probe. It is desirable that the evaluation reagent is dispensed from the reagent container into the reaction cell, and the control unit calculates the amount of cleaning liquid brought into the reaction cell that cannot be removed by the water droplet removal mechanism. In particular, the invention is not limited to the use of a reagent probe, absorbance, and water droplet removal mechanism, but with this configuration, it is possible to grasp an abnormality in the water droplet removal mechanism of the reagent probe without adding a new measurement unit. .

  In addition, this invention is not limited to an above-described Example, Various modifications are included. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Further, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations for a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Computer, 2 ... Input device, 3 ... Control part, 4 ... Reaction cell, 5 ... Reaction disk, 6 ... Reaction container washing | cleaning mechanism, 7 ... Sample conveyance mechanism, 8 ... Sample container, 9 ... Sample rack, 10 ... Reagent Container 11, reagent disk 12, sample dispensing mechanism 13, sample probe 14, reagent dispensing mechanism 15, reagent probe 16, stirring mechanism 17, measuring unit 18, sample probe washing tank 19 Sample probe water drop removal mechanism, 20 ... reagent probe washing tank, 21 ... reagent probe water drop removal mechanism, 22 ... stirring mechanism washing tank, 23 ... stirring mechanism water drop removal mechanism, 51 ... sample suction position, 52 ... sample discharge position, 53 ... Sample probe cleaning position, 54 ... Reagent discharge position, 55 ... Reagent suction position, 56 ... Reagent probe cleaning position, 57 ... Stirring position, 58 ... Stirring mechanism cleaning position, 60 ... Row 1, 61 ... Row 2, 62 ... Row , 63 ... line 4, 64 ... row 5,65 ... average value

Claims (13)

Either a reagent probe for dispensing a reagent into a reaction cell, a sample probe for dispensing a sample into a reaction cell, or a member to be cleaned of a stirring mechanism that is brought into contact with the liquid in the reaction cell and stirred
A cleaning tank for cleaning the member to be cleaned with a cleaning liquid;
A measurement unit for measuring the optical characteristics of the evaluation reagent contained in the reaction cell;
A control unit that controls the member to be cleaned, the cleaning tank, and the measurement unit,
The control unit is configured to contact the cleaning target member cleaned in the cleaning tank with the evaluation reagent;
The control unit causes the measurement unit to measure the optical characteristics after contact with the evaluation reagent, and calculates the amount of the cleaning liquid brought into the reaction cell based on the measured optical characteristics. An automatic analyzer characterized by that. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein
The control unit causes the measurement unit to measure the optical characteristics before contact with the evaluation reagent, and based on the optical characteristics before and after the contact of the cleaning target member, the cleaning liquid of the cleaning target member to the reaction cell An automatic analyzer characterized by calculating a carry-in amount. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein
The automatic analyzer further includes a water droplet removing mechanism that performs an operation of removing the cleaning liquid adhering to the cleaning target member after the cleaning target member is cleaned with the cleaning liquid. The automatic analyzer according to claim 3,
The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to bring the cleaning target member into contact with the evaluation reagent after the operation of removing the cleaning liquid adhering to the cleaning target member by the water droplet removal mechanism. The automatic analyzer according to claim 4,
The member to be cleaned is a dispensing probe of either the reagent probe or the sample probe,
The control unit performs control to reciprocate the dispensing probe a plurality of times between the same reaction cell and the washing tank, washing operation of the dispensing probe with a washing liquid, and the dispensing by the water droplet removing mechanism. An automatic analyzer characterized by performing a control that repeats a series of operations including an operation of removing a cleaning liquid adhering to a probe and a contact operation of the dispensing probe with the reagent for evaluation. The automatic analyzer according to claim 5, wherein
Furthermore, the reaction cell and a plurality of other reaction cells, a reaction disk that is driven to rotate,
The control unit controls the rotational drive of the reaction disk when analyzing a sample,
The automatic analysis apparatus, wherein the control unit performs control to keep the reaction disk stationary while repeating the series of operations. The automatic analyzer according to claim 6,
The control unit performs aspiration, discharge, and cleaning of the dispensing probe with the dispensing probe within a predetermined cycle time when analyzing the sample,
The automatic analysis apparatus, wherein the control unit executes the series of operations within the same predetermined cycle time. The automatic analyzer according to claim 6,
Furthermore, a reagent disk for holding a reagent container for storing the evaluation reagent is provided,
The dispensing probe is the reagent probe, and the reagent probe dispenses the evaluation reagent from the reagent container to the reaction cell;
When analyzing the sample, the control unit moves the reagent probe from the cleaning position to the reagent suction position in the horizontal direction and then lowers the reagent probe from the reagent suction position to perform suction control.
The control unit performs control for lowering from the reagent aspirating position and aspirating the evaluation reagent when the evaluation reagent is aspirated from the reagent container,
When the controller repeats the series of operations, the controller moves from the washing position to the reagent aspirating position and does not contact the evaluation reagent contained in the reagent container and is accommodated in the reaction cell. An automatic analyzer characterized by performing control to contact the reagent for evaluation. The automatic analyzer according to claim 6,
The control unit performs control to rotate the reaction disk that has been kept stationary after the series of operations is repeated, and performs the evaluation via the evaluation reagent and the dispensing probe accommodated in the reaction cell. Move the reaction cell to a position where the cleaning liquid mixed in the reagent can be stirred,
The automatic analysis apparatus, wherein the control unit performs control to stir the evaluation reagent and the cleaning liquid at the position. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein
2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the optical characteristic is any one of absorbance, transmittance, luminescence, and turbidity. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein
The optical property is absorbance,
The measurement unit is a photometer that measures the absorbance of a mixed solution of a sample and a reagent when analyzing the sample,
The control unit calculates an amount of the cleaning liquid brought into the reaction cell of the cleaning target member based on a difference in absorbance before and after contact with the evaluation reagent. The automatic analyzer according to claim 4,
Furthermore, a storage unit that stores a threshold value of the carry-in amount for determining whether or not the water droplet removal mechanism is functioning normally,
An automatic analyzer that specifies that the control unit determines whether or not the water droplet removal mechanism is functioning normally based on the calculated carry-in amount and the threshold value. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein
The member to be cleaned is the reagent probe,
The optical identification is absorbance,
The measurement unit is a photometer that measures the absorbance of a mixed solution of a sample and a reagent when analyzing the sample,
Further, a water droplet removing mechanism that performs an operation of removing the cleaning liquid adhering to the reagent probe after the reagent probe is cleaned with a cleaning liquid;
A reagent disc holding a reagent container for containing the evaluation reagent;
The sample probe,
The control unit dispenses the evaluation reagent from the reagent container to the reaction cell;
The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the controller calculates an amount of cleaning liquid brought into the reaction cell that cannot be removed by the water droplet removal mechanism.

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